From the Bowery: The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro (Disc 2)

From the Bowery: The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro (Disc 2)

-Disc 2 opens up with the same video package as the first one, and DDP welcomes us back. He tells us that this disc will be covering 1997 and 1998. He says the n.W.o is the spark that WCW needed to dominate the Monday Night Wars. He puts over the Diamond Cutter as the deadliest move on the planet by the end of 1996.

DDP vs. Mark Starr
Jan 13, 1997; New Orleans, LA

-Ted Dibiase and Bischoff are handling commentary as the n.W.o has take over the announce position. DDP comes out and he is still in his cigar smoking, sleazebag gimmick here. Bischoff and Dibiase seem convinced that DDP is going to be n.W.o and Bischoff even mentions that DDP is his neighbor. A running Diamond Cutter ends things for the jobber at 53 seconds. Hall and Nash head down to the ring with a n.W.o shirt and DDP embraces them. He puts on the shirt and then kills Hall with a Diamond Cutter. He sidesteps Nash who goes flying over the top and onto a table. DDP exits through the crowd, and celebrates with the fans.

Winner: DDP via pin at 0:53
-The match was a squash as expected, but the post match is why this is included on the DVD. With Sting hiding in the rafters, and Luger seemingly always choking in big match situations, the crowd needed someone to stand up to the n.W.o and that became DDP. This moment and the subsequent feud with the n.W.o and most notably, Randy Savage, put Page on the map in the fan’s eyes. SQUASH

March 3, 1997; Atlanta, GA
-Gene brings out Bischoff and he builds up the Main Event for Uncensored with Team n.W.o vs. Team WCW. Team Piper was later added, and after some tweaking that ended up being Piper and the Horsemen. Bischoff is interrupted by the President of Turner Sports, Dr. Schiller. He gets a better crowd reaction than most suits, and Schiller calls Eric out on his firing of referee Randy Anderson. Bischoff cowers at first, but then starts to get cocky as the interview moves along. Schiller suspends Bischoff and the crowd goes nuts. Basically Bischoff gets all his power removed, and can’t even show up at a WCW event. Bischoff chases after to end the interview.

March 17, 1997; Savannah, GA
-The entire n.W.o breaks up a match between the Steiners and Harlem Heat. This is the Nitro following Uncensored, and The Outsiders target Rick Steiner’s damaged ear. The crowd starts a massive chant for Sting, but instead we get Luger and the Giant. A huge fucking brawl breaks out as WCW clears the ring of the n.W.o. Pyro goes off and Sting drops down from the ceiling to one of the biggest reactions you will hear. Hogan nearly shits himself and makes sure to get the n.W.o around him. Sting points his bat at Hogan, and the fear in his eyes is pretty funny actually.

-Back to DDP as he puts over the Cruiserweight Division.

WCW Cruiserweight Title: Syxx © (w/ Kevin Nash) vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr
April 21, 1997; Saginaw, MI

-This could be good considering this was before injuries slowed Syxx down and he had to change his in ring style. This is classic WCW vs. n.W.o so the crowd is pretty primed for this one. Syxx controls with an armbar, but Rey uses his speed to escape. Rey grabs a headlock, but gets shot off into the ropes. He drops Syxx with a toehold, and goes right back to the headlock. It’s a stalemate early, and Rey slaps the grease off Syxx’s face when he starts talking trash. That seemingly gets Syxx fired up as he tosses Rey into the arm and pushes him on the way back down into the mat. Syxx props Rey up in the corner and delivers some kicks before hitting the bronco buster. He fires Rey off the ropes and hooks in an abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for added leverage. Anderson catches Syxx cheating and that gives Mysterio a chance to break the hold. Nash distracts the ref and that gives Syxx the opportunity to toss Rey over the top to the floor. Nash stalks Rey on the floor as Heenan references the lawn dart incident the previous summer. A second attempt at the bronco buster misses, and Rey gets a roll-up for two. He heads up top and comes off with a head scissors that sends Syxx to the floor. Rey follows him with a flipping senton, but gets caught with a big boot from Nash when he gets back in the ring. The ref is so busy checking on Syxx that Nash drops Rey with a powerbomb as well for good measure. Syxx locks in the Buzzkill (crossface chicken wing), and the ref calls for the bell at 5:55. JJ Dillon (the new boss) heads down to the ring and has security control Nash and Syxx while Rey gets carried out on a stretcher. Nash tells JJ to bite him and the camera cuts back to Rey being loaded in an ambulance.

Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Syxx via ref stoppage at 5:55
-This could have been very good, but time constraints and the n.W.o storyline consumed it. Still, for 6 minutes it was a pretty fun match, and for some reason I always enjoy Nash beating on Rey. **

WCW World Title: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan © vs. Lex Luger
Aug 4, 1997; Auburn Hills, MI

-This was the Main Event for the Hog Will PPV, and then WCW decided to have the match live on Nitro days before the PPV. That immediately tipped off that something was up, and the fact this was the 100th edition of Nitro only added to that. Schiavone brings up a good point in that he thinks Luger needs to get a quick win as in a small package or roll-up so the n.W.o can’t save Hogan. Things starts very slow as Hogan gets a hammerlock, but Luger breaks easily and reverses to his own. Luger powers Hogan down to the mat and gives him dose of his own medicine by posing. They tie-up again and Hogan runs Luger back into the corner, and then gives a relatively clean break. The second go around doesn’t go as well for Luger as Hogan pounds him down in the corner. He starts choking Luger and then attacks the throat with multiple elbows. The crowd is mostly against Hogan, but a vocal section is clearly for the n.W.o and Hogan by default. Hogan sends Luger to the corner and follows with the running clothesline. For some reason I have always loved that move. Luger finally blocks getting sent into the buckle and then sends Hogan into the buckle about a dozen times. He unloads on Hogan in the corner, but a thumb to the eye kills that comeback. We head to commercial and as we come back Luger breaks out of a bear hug. A clothesline sends Luger to the mat and a suplex gets a two count. Tenay informs us that Hogan hit Luger in the head with a chair during the commercial break. A belly to back suplex gets another pin fall, but Luger is able to get his foot on the bottom rope. Hogan seems to be getting frustrated as Luger keeps kicking out. The ass kicking continues in the corner, and the crowd seems subdued at the fact that Hogan is dominating. A “Hogan” chant does start and Hogan delivers the big boot for two. He calls for the leg drop, and hits the move after a body slam. Luger kicks out of the move, so Hogan goes for another big leg, but Luger rolls out of the way. The n.W.o hit the ring, but Luger fights each man off, and hits the running forearm on Hogan. Savage gets tossed over the top rope and Luger racks Hogan to get the submission and title at 8:58 (shown). The pop for that is pretty impressive and the celebration is on as the ring fills with the WCW roster. Even in a positive moment for WCW, the ring starts to fill with garbage as at that point it was just the thing to do at WCW shows. Heenan mentions that this is a big loss for the n.W.o and will sit them back. Yep, for about 5 days, and then things were back to normal!

Winner and New WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Lex Luger via submission at 8:58 (shown).
-This was a huge moment and the crowd reacted as such. Luger finally seemed to shed the choker label, but then went and lost the title back to Hogan 5 days later. The match itself was basically a Hogan squash, but the ending sequence with Luger fighting against all the odds and winning was a great moment. *

-DDP puts over winning the World Title and how when he sees someone win the Title it makes him think of Flair beating Race at Starrcade. He brings up how the Horsemen were tradition, but in the mid 90s Nitro was about the n.W.o and rebellion.

Sept 1, 1997; Pensacola, FL
-Gene goes to bring out the 4 Horsemen, but we get Syxx dressed like Flair and Konan dressed like Mongo. Fuck Yes! Gene is so disgusted that he walks off. Syxx and Mongo head to the ring and bring down Curt Hennig (Buff Bagwell). A week prior Arn Anderson retired in ring and gave his spot in the Horsemen to Hennig in what was a rather emotional moment. Syxx plays this for all he is worth as he woos every time the word “spot” is said. Half the crowd looks pissed and the other half seem to be laughing their asses off. “Flair” brings down “Arn Anderson” (Kevin Nash with a beer cooler, skull cap, and padding for a beer gut). I know the Horsemen were legit pissed and wanted to rush the ring because they had no clue this was going to happen, but this was fucking genius. So genius in fact, that a year later, DX would run a similar parody of the Nation of Domination. Words can’t do this justice, and I am sure some who are diehard Horseman fans were pissed at this, but for me, this was hilarious. “Flair” starts crying uncontrollably as “Arn” retires. I think had they cleared this with the Horsemen first, this wouldn’t have caused nearly the drama. “Hennig” accepts “Arn’s” spot, and Schiavone, Heenan, and Tenay are so pissed that it’s kind of funny. Schiavone even says he has a hand in TV production and we will never see this video again. Thankfully Vince has a monopoly and thus we get to see this again.

DDP (w/ Kimberly) vs. Buff Bagwell (w/ Vincent)
Sept 29, 1997; Worcester, MA

-Poor Bagwell doesn’t even get the famous n.W.o porno music and instead comes to the ring with the n.W.o jobber theme. DDP is insanely over as he was still in his career making feud with Savage. Kimberly comes out for the entrance, but then DDP sends her to back for her own safety. These two had a PPV match earlier in the year after Bagwell went n.W.o, and that didn’t go so well for Buff. He does get an armdrag and then poses to the crowd. The announcers tell us that DDP has developed over 50 ways to hit the Diamond Cutter, and that seems like a stretch. The camera shows Raven sitting in the crowd with Stevie Richards behind him, and it was at this time that I started to get into the Raven character. I later caught up on all the ECW stuff via tape trading. As for the match DDP hits a slingshot crossbody to the floor, but Buff fakes a knee injury to regain the advantage. Bagwell hits a pretty sweet dropkick, and then stomps Page back to the mat. A DDP comeback is cut off by a thumb to the eye as the crowd starts a DDP chant. Bagwell poses some more as he probably benefited from his n.W.o turn more than any of the other B team members did. You could toss Steiner in that group, but it was clear he was being groomed for the Main Event at some point. Bagwell gets frustrated at the slow count of the ref, and nearly gets pinned as a result. The ref gets crushed by DDP and sent to the floor. Vincent tries to take an advantage, but he eats a Diamond Cutter. Bagwell tries a backdrop, but DDP floats over and hits a Diamond Cutter on him to earn the pin at 6:47. DDP exits through the crowd and gets in Raven’s face just because he can I guess.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page via pin at 6:57
-Not sure why this was included when they could have thrown on the DDP dressed as La Parka angle. Not a very good match either as nobody bought Bagwell as anything but cannon fodder. *1/2

Oct 27, 1997; San Diego, CA
-We join a match between DDP and Hogan in progress with Hogan dominating. He hits the running corner clothesline and then poses to many boos from the crowd. Hogan goes for the pin, but DDP is out at two. The crowd starts a DDP chant, but Hogan hits a suplex and drops an elbow for two. He keeps going for the pin, but DDP keeps kicking out. DDP lands some blows, and fights back to his feet. He sends Hogan to the floor and they brawl around ringside. They head back in the ring and Hogan reverses a whip to hit the big boot. The leg drops misses and DDP calls for the Diamond Cutter. A fake Sting heads down to the ring and eats a Diamond Cutter. The bell sounds and Hogan starts whipping Page with his weightlifters belt. The entire n.W.o pours out of the locker room and starts a gang beating on DDP. The crowd chants for Sting and the real deal does make his way through the crowd. Most of the n.W.o is smart enough to get out of the ring, but Vincent eats a Scorpion Death Drop. Hall, Hennig, Norton, and Konan try to attack, but he takes each man out by himself. Hogan tries to direct traffic and gives us that scared as shit look again. Hall eats a Scorpion Death Drop and Henning gets the same treatment. It’s a damn shame they were too stupid to find a way to finish this angle.

”Macho Man” Randy Savage (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Sting
Feb 2, 1998; Alamo Dome, San Antonio, TX

-Liz looks absolutely fantastic here as for some reason she was even hotter when she went n.W.o. This was after Sting won the title at Starrcade, but then had the title held up due to the stupid ass ending to that show. Sting was heading to SuperBrawl to face Hogan for the vacated strap, and Savage was feuding with Lex Luger. He had also started a power struggle with Hogan for control of the n.W.o and that planted the seeds for the eventual split into two groups. Sting descends from the roof off the Alamo Dome, and considering how big that stadium is, it’s quite impressive. Savage jumps before the bell, but has Sting no sells and that causes Savage to bail to the floor. Sting gives chases as he shows the fire here that he should have showed at Starrcade. He beats Savage’s ass back into the ring, but a well timed rake to the eyes breaks the momentum. They head to the floor and Savage ends up getting tossed shoulder first into the steel. Sting tries to hit a Stinger Splash, but Savage moves and Sting crashes into the guard rail. Savage drops him throat first on the railing and then hops into the ring to take the cover over the turnbuckle. While up there he decides to head to the top and comes down to the floor with the double axe handle. They head back in the ring and Savage spikes Sting with a piledriver, but he bounces right up. He sends Savage into the corner and hits a Stinger Splash. He tries again in the opposite corner, but Savage moves and Sting goes head first into the exposed buckle. Savage hits the flying elbow, but Hogan comes in to stop the 3 count at 3:58. Hogan and Savage stare each other down, but Luger pulls Savage to the floor so he can beat his ass. Sting stalks after Hogan, but the n.W.o runs interference. Sting has little trouble with them, but it gives Hogan a chance to escape.

No Winner via Hogan interference at 3:58
-This four minutes was better than the 2 PPV matches that Sting and Hogan had around this same time period. Sting fought like he should have at Starrcade: pissed off, and Savage was a nutcase as usual. **

March 30, 1998; Chicago, IL
-Chris Jericho makes Marty Jannetty tap to the lion tamer, and grabs a mic to read off all the holds that he knows. He has a spreadsheet with all the holds and a glass of water. “Hold 1. Armdrag, Hold 2. Armbar…” They head to commercial and when they come back Jericho is on hold number 712. The second hour of Nitro starts with pyro, but that doesn’t faze Jericho as he keeps on reading. Prince Iaukeau heads down for a match and chases Jericho from the ring. Good stuff here!

-DDP puts over Jericho, and transfers to talking about the similarities in the appearance of Goldberg and Austin.

WCW Title: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan ©vs. Goldberg
July 6, 1998; Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

–This match was announced as the Main Event only a few days earlier on Thunder and that was also how Goldberg found out about the match. This takes place in the Georgia Dome with over 40,000 rabid fans who are all expecting to see a new WCW Champion. Goldberg had wrestled Hall earlier in the night as Hogan was throwing road blocks in his way. The crowd is jacked as you would expect and Goldberg immediately gains control with a headlock. Hogan gets steamrolled with a shoulder and backs off to regain his senses. Hogan gets a front facelock (what is it with that hold? There’s only 4 matches on this DVD and that’s hold has been in 3 of the 4 matches), but Goldberg powers Hogan back into the corner. He gives Hogan a clean break however as he is a little more cautious in this match compared to all his previous matches. That’s actually a nice story touch since this is his first shot at the Title and he should be a little rattled. A massive “Goldberg” chant starts and he dominates Hogan in a test of strength. The move is broken though as Hogan gets his foot on the bottom rope. Hogan is finally able to get the advantage after he buries a knee into the midsection. The weight belt gets used as he whips Goldberg. That only serves to piss him off however, and he takes the belt from Hogan. He don’t need a weapon (his hands are his weapon), so he tosses the belt to the floor. Hogan tries a new game plan and that involves honest to god chain wrestling. That doesn’t work either as he ends up in a full nelson. A mule kick to the balls breaks the hold, and drops Goldberg. A clothesline drops Goldberg once again, but the elbow drops from Hogan miss. Goldberg makes it back to his feet and he sends Hogan to the floor. Nothing of note happens though as Goldberg is content with waiting on Hogan in the ring. Once Hogan gets back in the ring he pushes Goldberg into the corner and buries a few knees. He fires Goldberg to the floor and after sending him into the railing, uses a chair to gain the advantage. They head back in the ring where Hogan gets a slam and drops the leg twice. I believe he even drops it a 3rd time, but the camera was focused on Curt Hennig making his way to the ring. Karl Malone and DDP are hot on his heels however. Back in the ring Goldberg is able to kick out following the leg drops to the shock of Hogan. Karl Malone drops Hennig with a diamond cutter, and that is enough of a distraction that Goldberg is able to hit Hogan with the spear to a thunderous pop. Heenan is practically pissing his pants with joy as Goldberg lifts Hogan up for the jackhammer. He holds him up there for a few seconds while the crowd loses their minds, and he finally finishes the hold to get the pin and WCW Title at 8:12. This is how it should have been with Sting at Starrcade 1997.

Winner and New WCW Champion: Goldberg via pin at 8:12
-This was your typical Goldberg match with a slight change as Hogan got in just enough offense, but not too much where it made Goldberg look weak. This was arguably the greatest moment in the history of Nitro and was easily the peak of the Goldberg’s career. The match wasn’t very good, but it was short enough to keep things moving, and historic enough to make it worth seeing at least once. **

WCW Tag Titles: Sting © and Kevin Nash © vs. Scott Hall and The Giant
July 20, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT

-We are firmly entrenched in the Wolfpac vs. n.W.o Hollywood feud and Sting is sporting his lobster look. Hall had turned on Nash two months earlier, as they were building towards an eventual blow-off at Halloween Havoc. Hall wants no part of Nash, so he smartly tags to the Giant. He controls Nash early with a running clothesline, but then eats one of his own. Nash hits a running boot bat, and the Wolfpac clear the ring to a huge response to the crowd. Sting and Hall now have a go, and all 4 men keep playing to the crowd as they seem to be enjoying how into the match this crowd is. Sting delivers a clothesline as we head to a break. Once back Hall spits on Sting and then makes the tag to the Giant. Nice! A massive “Giant sucks” chant starts as I am in awe of how into this match these people in Utah are. The Giant gets hung up on the top rope and Sting hits a Stinger Splash. He tries again, but ends up eating a big ass boot. Sting ducks a clothesline and tries a crossbody, but he just bounces off in a nice spot. A low blow from the Giant and he makes the tag to Hall. He smacks Sting around a little bit and hits the fall away slam. He locks in an abdominal stretch and uses the Giant for some added leverage. They play mind games with ref before finally being caught. Sting uses that to get a hiptoss to break and the hot tag is made to Nash. He pounds away on the Giant and then we get the Outsider showdown. The crowd is hot for that as Nash hits a bog boot. He calls for the powerbomb, but the Giant breaks. All four men start brawling in the ring and Sting gets a bulldog on the Giant. Nash crawls and makes the tag to Sting, and the crowd loses their shit. Hall gets killed with multiple Stinger splashes, and the Deathlock follows. The Giant tries to break, but Nash cuts him off. Bret Hart heads down and gets Sting in Sting’s face presumably about using his hold. Sting goes after Hart, but that leaves him in perfect position for the Outsider’s Edge. Hall gets the pin and the tag titles for his team at 9:39.

Winners and New WCW Tag Champions: Hall and The Giant via Hall pin on Sting at 9:39
-This was a fun match that was greatly enhanced by a super hot crowd. Sometimes a crowd really can make a difference. Though it’s pretty sad for WCW when the n.W.o has more over faces than 99% of their roster (outside Goldberg and possibly DDP). **1/4

Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr
Aug 3, 1998; Denver, CO

-Jericho is the Cruiserweight Champion, but this in non title since Jericho has an upcoming title match with Juventud at Hog Wild. Jericho jumps Mysterio before the bell and a loud Jericho sucks chant breaks out, but that’s impossible since he was never over in WCW according to some people. Mysterio snaps off a rana, and then springboards off the top with a senton splash to the floor. They head back into the ring and Jericho begs off in impressive fashion. We head to a break as Schiavone hypes the PPV on Saturday and he mentions Jay Leno wrestling and Travis Tritt being in concert. Wow, really? When that is the two things you are selling the show on is it any surprise this company was heading for disaster. We come back from break and Jericho uses some power to slow down Rey, and gets a two count. A dropkick sends Rey off the apron to the floor. In a rather impressive spot Jericho comes off the middle rope with a missile dropkick to the floor that nearly breaks Mysterio in half as he bounces off the guardrail. Damn, these two were crazy in their younger days! Jericho mows down Rey with a clothesline in the ring as he continues to limp following that missile dropkick on the floor. Jericho looks Mysterio in a submission hold that even Tenay can’t identify and he just decides to call it an Octopus hold. A running clothesline leaves Rey down and Jericho talks shit to the crowd. A blind charge misses, and Rey lands on the second rope on an alley-oop and takes Jericho down with a head scissors. He hits a springboard into a split legged moonsault for two. Rey tries to go under the legs, but gets caught and tossed with a sweet release German Suplex. Jericho tries for the springboard dropkick to the apron, but Mysterio ducks and hits a hurricanrana on the apron that sends Jericho back into the ring. Jericho responds with a double underhook suplex into a back breaker. He showboats to the crowd and that costs him as Rey hits an X-Factor. He heads back and looks for the West Coast Pop (as know in the WWE), but Jericho pulls the ref in the way and he eats a seated senton. Jericho hits a powerbomb and tries for the Lion Tamer, but Rey rolls through for a pin attempt with no referee around. Dean Malenko hits the ring and counts Jericho out at 8:52 (shown). For those wondering Dean is the special ref for the Jericho/Guerrera match at the upcoming PPV and thus is giving us a preview of his new found power. Jericho throws a tantrum after the match and even decks David Penzer for good measure.

Winner: Rey Mysterio, Jr via pin at 8:52
-Solid match between these two and it is fascinating watching this match compared to what they did just a few years back in the WWE. ***1/2

WCW Cruiserweight Title: Juventud Guerrera © vs. Billy Kidman
Sept 14, 1998; Greenville, SC

-Kidman is out to no music which is kind of weird to hear. Schiavone explains that the Flock walked out on Raven earlier in the night and because of that the crowd is into Kidman. Kind of like how the crowd if hot right now for Alex Riley due to him standing up and beating the piss out of the Miz. A rather slow start considering the two guys in the ring, as they seem more interested in playing to the crowd. Finally they get on track and Guerrera pounds Kidman down in the corner. He heads up top and delivers a missile dropkick that sends Kidman to the floor. The crowd is pretty fired up for this match and that was great thing about the cruiserweight division around this time: they had fantastic matches and thus got over with the crowd. Funny how that works! A head scissors from Juvie keeps him in control and he follows that with a crossbody that sends both men to the floor. Schiavone keeps hyping a World Title match between Sting and Goldberg as we head to break. They really gave that match away on free TV too? We come back from break and Kidman is in control as he hits a slingshot leg drop from the apron back in the ring. He grounds Juvie with a chinlock as one fan tries to get a boring chant going. Juvie must have heard him as he picks up the pace again. A sit-out spinebuster gets a sweet near fall for Kidman. It’s always a good sign when the crowd boos the ref because they felt it was three. A wheel barrow slam gets another two count and it is clear that the crowd is aching for a new champion here. Kidman hits a running clothesline in the corner (hey, that’s Hogan’s move….no wonder he called him a flea market champion). Juvie escapes a suplex attempt and buries Kidman with a German suplex for two. A hurricanrana off the top rope gets a two count for Guerrera. I also kid about Kidman stealing Hogan’s move. Dude banged Torrie Wilson and that alone makes him a better man than me. Kidman escapes the Juvie Driver and hits a reverse suplex for another hot near fall. Kidman heads up for the Shooting Star Press, but Juvie brings him down with a rana. Juvie now heads up, but he jumps into a powerbomb. The Shooting Star Press gets the win and title for Kidman to a pretty good pop at 10:43 (shown). Saturn, who also left the Flock earlier, applauds as Kidman celebrates with the title.

Winner and New WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Kidman via pin at 10:43 (shown)
-For some reason this never get into a higher gear, but the crowd was hot from the start. What they did was certainly good, but I suspect they could have done a lot better. My guess is this was included to show off the division and give Kidman a spotlight since he is a WWE agent and a staple in the division. **3/4

-Back to DDP and talk shifts to the Four Horsemen and their return in late 1998.

Sept 14, 1998; Greenville, SC
-JJ Dillon in a tuxedo heads down to the ring and calls out Arn Anderson while the crowd starts a deafening “We Want Flair” chant. Arn asks JJ if he can smell it, and the crowd is absolutely rabid for what is going down. Arn calls tonight a new beginning for the 4 Horsemen and Schiavone is giddy with joy. Arn tells the crowd about his journey in the wrestling business and then brings out Mongo. In a shocking moment they leave Benoit’s entrance intact. Holy shit! That’s just so weird to see, and I am glad they didn’t edit the footage for a moment like this. That is our 5th and probably final appearance for Benoit on this DVD set. Malenko gets called to the ring next, and he really was a perfect fit for the Horsemen. Anderson mentions he is bringing back the Horsemen and that he won’t be responsible for what happens next. He soon realizes he forgot someone and he brings out Ric Flair to one of the greatest reactions you will ever hear. The crowd loses their shit as Flair walks down the aisle with tears in his eyes. Suck a great fucking moment! This was Flair’s first appearance on WCW television in months thanks to a backstage war with Bischoff that involved countless lawyers and lawsuits. In the end they realized would just be best to work together again. Sadly this is the last great moment for the Horsemen in WCW probably as things just went back to the way they were. Benoit and Malenko had some great matches in the tag division in 1999, but other than that, there Horsemen in WCW just weren’t a priority. Flair shoots on Bischoff and calls this a real life situation. He brings up Arn retiring a year earlier, and how Bischoff shit on it with the n.W.o parody. Bischoff interrupts and Flair looks like he would slit his throat if given a chance. Great stuff here, and thankfully they left this completely uncut considering the Benoit situation.

WCW United States Title: Bret Hart © vs. DDP
Oct 26, 1998; Phoenix, AZ

-Bret defeated DDP a few months prior to win the vacated US Title, and DDP is now out for the title and revenge. For those who couldn’t keep track of Bret’s status in WCW, he was a heel at this point. This is the show after Halloween Havoc where DDP stole the show with Goldberg. That also makes this the Nitro where they showed that match to make up for most the audience missing it the night before due to the PPV running long. DDP controls with a headlock and then runs Bret down with a shoulder tackle. Bret turns the tide by dropping DDP on the top turnbuckle and immediately starts working on a leg. Bret backs Page into a corner and lands some heavy blows. He uses the boot to choke and then panders to the crowd. That proves to be a mistake as DDP gets a surge of energy, but a blind charge eats boots as Bret is able to get his feet up. Bret panders more to the crowd as he starts to go through a few of the Five Moves of Doom. He locks in a chinlock and uses the middle ropes for some added leverage. Bret is clearly phoning things in here, and some may say can you blame him, but dude was getting paid a shit load of cash. Thankfully DDP fights his way back to his feet, but a DDT cuts off that comeback. Bret argues with the ref, and that gives Page a chance to feet back to his feet. A spinning lariat knocks Bret down, and a flapjack gets a two count. DDP heads up top, but gets crotched and then gets brought down with a superplex for two. A slam is countered to a small package by DDP for two. Bret seems to be picking things up here as I think he realizes Page is into this. Bret misses a charge in the corner, but DDP can’t capitalize. Bret goes back to the Five Moves of Doom and in this case it’s the backbreaker and middle rope elbow for two. He continues to argue with the ref’s count as Bret is getting frustrated. He lands some blows and makes sure to tell the ref it was with an open hand. DDP blocks a suplex and gets an armbar takedown. A jawbreaker sends Bret retreating to the corner, and a mule kick to the balls takes out DDP and the ref. Bret rolls to the floor and pulls a foreign object from his tights. Bret misses however and eats a Diamond Cutter at 10:49. Bret goes crazy after the match as he blasts the ref and DDP. He grabs a chair and targets the knee with several shots. The crowd starts chanting for Goldberg as Bret locks on the Sharpshooter. Bret releases the hold just so he can grab the chair and destroy the knee of DDP some more. He comes off the second rope with the chair and now finally Goldberg hits the ring, but we’re out of time.

Winner and New United States Champion: Diamond Dallas Page via pin at 10:49
-Started slow, but got better as things started rolling. Bret was clearly wasted in WCW, but I am sure people like DDP and some of the others who cared where thrilled to be in the ring with him. The post match beat down was pretty good as well. **1/2

For Control of WCW: Eric Bischoff vs. Ric Flair
Dec 28, 1998; Baltimore, MD

-The previous night at Starrcade, Bischoff defeated Flair, and this is the rematch. Bischoff tries to leave via a limo, but Mongo, Benoit (6th appearance), and Malenko carry him back to the ring. The winner of this match is the new Boss of WCW. Charles Robinson is your ref and we clearly see how this will go as Flair hits Bischoff in the balls twice in the opening 30 seconds. He even tosses Robison across the ring, and that doesn’t even draw a DQ. Flair rips off Bischoff’s shirt and delivers some nasty chops in the corner. The n.W.o B Squad head down, but the Horsemen have little trouble with them. Back in the ring Flair continues to beat the color out of Bischoff’s hair. More Elite members of the n.W.o hit the ring and that includes the Giant who takes Flair out with a headbutt. Randy Savage makes his return with Gorgeous George and he is sporting a n.W.o shirt. The crowd is jacked to see Savage and they go nuts when he low blows the Giant and sends him to the floor with a clothesline. He rips off the shirt as he walks out and Flair drops Bischoff with a suplex. DDP and the Horsemen surround the ring as Flair locks in the Figure Four. Bischoff taps at 4:04 and the ring fills with WCW stars as they celebrate with their new boss. Just for shits and giggles Flair drops an elbow and covers for the three count because he can. Schiavone leaves the announce table to celebrate and Dusty Rhodes heads down as well.

Winner and New Boss of WCW: Ric Flair via submission at 4:04
-Just a complete massacre exactly as it should have been. The chaos on the floor and the return of Savage only added to the fun. Sure it didn’t mean much in the long run as the n.W.o would reform a week later, but for one night the crowd got what they wanted: Bischoff getting his ass kicked. Call this one a SQUASH, but a much appreciated and entertaining one.

The 411: Not as good as the first disc, but still some good stuff on there. The matches are hit or miss, but they have touched on more of the historic ones. The mocking and then the reformation of the Horsemen is the definite high light of this DVD. One more to go!
Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]